The Hero and The Demon
by Lord Terronus
Summary: Most people only have one chance at life. Not so for Darren Smythe, the boy reborn into the new form of Kage Sekai. Born of another world and bonded to a demonic entity granting him strange and mysterious powers, Kage must walk the path of a hero, alone without his dark companion. Will these shadows consume him? Will he be able to live in this new world? Only time will tell...
1. Chapter 1: Distant

The Hero and the Demon

 **Chapter 1: Distant**

The U.A. Entrance exam was filled with a large variety of interesting individuals. There was a boy with six arms, a boy with engines in his legs, a girl with pink skin, and an invisible girl. This is only scratching the surface of the many interesting individuals who were taking the test to become a hero. But, there was one with a particularly fascinating story. One who stood out among the rest with an unbelievable tale and an even stranger set of powers. This boy is known as Kage Sekai. This boy is named Darren Smythe. And this is his story.

 _X-_

Darren Smythe walked through the streets of Glasgow with a set of earphones playing a rather pleasant tune in his ears. He had not a care in the world as he glanced from shop to shop, person to person. His brown hair was covered by his dark blue hoodie and he held his head down slightly, trying to avoid drawing attention to himself. He wore a set of black joggings that were slightly too small for him as he wandered the streets. He was on his way back to his home in a much quieter neighbourhood, so he took a shortcut to the train station through an alleyway.

This, was his first mistake.

A man in rough clothing walked up to Darren, drawing his attention with a knife he drew from his pockets. Darren quickly disconnected his headphones and readied himself for trouble.

"Alright kid, hand over yer wallet. And that phone you're hidin' while you're at it." The man had a menacing grin and glared at Darren with blood red eyes. Darren could smell the faint whiff of alcohol on the man's breath. He stood unsteadily, shaking a little. Nonetheless, he attempted to reason with the man.

"Uh, sorry, but I don't have a wallet. And I spent my last Fiver getting some food, so I've got nothing. So, how about—" Unfortunately, Darren was never able to finish his statement as the man charged towards him. Darren attempted to dodge, and managed to get away with just a cut on his arm, rather than a more dangerous knife blow to his chest. He glanced over to see the man chuckling madly.

"A fast one, huh? Well, it won't save ya. I need money, so you need to die!" The man screamed and came at Darren again, tackling him to the ground. Darren saw the knife, its silver metal glinting in the sunlight that seemed to glance down through the alleyway, eyes narrowed. Darren's eyes widened as the knife plunged downwards towards his heart. He attempted to grab the hand holding the instrument of his demise with his own hands but simply ended with his hand stabbed.

"Please, please I don't… I don't want to die! Please!" Darren yelled at the man, tears blurring his vision as his face contorted into an expression of pure terror. The man didn't seem to listen to his pleas, or maybe he didn't hear. Darren had no way of knowing when the knife collided harshly with his chest, its blade piercing his heart.

Darren stopped. His head seemed to slide to side of the street, tears falling from his eyes. He distantly heard the man, grumbling about not finding anything. He distantly saw the walls of a building that served as a wall for this alleyway. He distantly felt the blood trailing from his wounds.

Everything

Felt

So

Distant.

 _X-_

 _Yes, this one might just work. Very well. I, Kuryo, Lord of The Void, shall claim your soul._

 _Your original world will not work. Not with my power. No, we need somewhere more…exceptional._

 _Ah, this one will do nicely. I'm sure it will prove to your liking as much as it does mine._

 _It is truly a shame that I must leave myself so dormant. But, certain things must be done for this to work._

 _Well, Darren Smythe, Farewell. Enjoy your new name. And enjoy your new power while it lasts…_

 _Because I_ will _reclaim it._

 _X-_

Darren awoke in a seemingly entirely separate alleyway, with no wounds on his body. Everything which once felt distant was now in focus. He leapt up to his feet, and immediately noticed something was different. His hair felt slightly shorter and rather different. Quickly raising his hand – which also appeared to be somewhat more lean and muscular, as opposed to its normal skinny form – He felt that his hair was somewhat spikey.

"Well, this is all _very_ strange. What else has changed?" He spoke in a strangely calm tone to himself, despite the fact that his body was shaking from what had just occurred. He went to put his hands into his pockets, before looking down and noticing that his clothes had changed too. In place of his black joggings were blue jeans and a white T-shirt with what appeared to be Japanese text sat upon his torso. He raised an eyebrow at this and rummaged around in his new pockets, finding a new wallet. Curious, he opened it and found an ID. It did not match anything he had seen before on his old face. This face had pitch black hair and bright yellow eyes, as opposed to his normal faint green eyes.

"Name: Kage Sekai. Age: 15. DOB: 17/06." Darren read aloud off of the card inside his new wallet. He guessed that , somehow, he had found his way into a new body. He had seen enough Anime to know where this was going. Based on his different surroundings, he assumed he had been moved to a new world, or perhaps simply a new country. Without more time to investigate, he had no way of telling where exactly he had ended up. With that thought in mind, he wandered out of the alleyway and into a new street.

The first thing he noticed was the people. Most of the individuals appeared fairly normal. Standard, everyday bystanders. Idly, he noticed that the individuals didn't look Scottish, like his original self. Rather, they seemed far more indistinct. But this was not the main thing Darren- or Kage, he supposed he should get used to his new name- noticed about these people. The main thing he noticed were the oddities. Some individuals had pink, blue or even grey skin, some had tails or extra limbs, some had multiple eyes, and some even had all of the above. Darren couldn't help but stare at some of these oddities which existed. Furthermore, no one else seemed bothered by this. To them, this was all normal, but as far as Darren was concerned, this was the strangest thing he could possibly imagine. Why was no one batting an eye at such strange people? Why did such incredible oddities exist? Darren decided he would have to figure it out another time. He had too much to concern himself with.

Darren also noticed that the text adorned the nearby buildings and his environment appeared to be written in Japanese text. Each and every sign was formed from Kanji, or perhaps Katakana, Darren didn't know the difference. If he focused, the text seemed to translate itself before Darren's eyes. It was certainly convenient, if mysterious. Darren smirked slightly. Strange abilities was another point in his eyes to telling him he had been sent to another world. After wandering for some time, he decided to try approaching someone in the street, and found himself approaching a green haired boy who looked about his age.

"Excuse me!" He went to ask the person some important questions but stopped as the person turned their heads to face him.

"Um, C-can I help you?" Izuku Midoriya looked at him with a nervous, slightly confused expression. Darren suddenly understood where he was.

This was My Hero Academia.

Oh boy, this would be fun.

 _X-_

 **AN: Well, this was a fun start to a story. I honestly just had to get this idea out on paper. I had wanted to a reincarnation-type story like this for MHA almost since I had first found out this was a kind of story people make. More information on our protagonist (Who shall be referred to as Kage Sekai from now on) and their abilities, as well as the other mysteries shall be revealed as the story progresses. For now, I just can't wait to share more. Unfortunately, I have exams right around this time, so updates may prove fairly irregular. I really should be studying now, but writing Fanfiction takes precedence, god dammit!**

 **Anyway, that's all for now. Until next time, See Ya!**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Lord Terronus**


	2. Chapter 2: Power

The Hero & The Demon

 **Chapter 2: Power**

Izuku Midoriya looked at the one who had just called out to him, a boy of about his age, with black spiky hair and bright yellow eyes. He was wearing a white T-shirt with the Kanji for "Shadow" written on it and a pair of blue jeans. Overall, he looked like a nice enough individual, so Izuku replied as best he could.

"Um, C-can I help you?" He replied. His lack of social experience certainly made his response not exactly perfect, but the other boy blew his out of the water.

"Uh, n-no. That's OK. I'll just be…going. Sorry to bother ya?" His voice sounded shaken and his face was somewhere between absolute terror and astonishment for reasons Izuku couldn't hope to comprehend. The boy then spun on his feet and began sprinting away.

Not calmly walking away, _sprinting._ He looked like he expected Izuku to chase him across the edge of the earth.

"Well…that happened." Was all Izuku could think to say to that. After all, how _was_ he supposed to respond to…. Whatever just happened.

* * *

"Okay, it's official: I have finally gone crazy. My mind has finally shattered like glass. I am completely _insane! I am_ \- "

" _ **Breath."**_

Kage's panic attack was interrupted by a sudden voice that seemed to echo within his head. It was a strong voice, though somewhat high pitched. Immediately, he calmed himself.

" _ **That's better. Now, allow me to introduce myself: I am Kuryo. Before I continue, let me reassure you now. You are**_ **not** _ **insane, this is all**_ **real,** _ **and if you don't calm down and shut the hell up, then you'll never get the answers you seek. Are we clear?"**_

Given Kage was already apparently insane – no matter what the voice in his head, _the flipping voice in his own head_ said – he decided that playing along would probably be his only option. He nodded, stopping his sprint to a halt.

"We're clear. So, what happens now?" He spoke to himself, desperately attempting to keep his thoughts and voice clear.

" _ **Head to Takoba Municipal Beach Park. I'll guide you. Just do what you were doing before- sprint. I'll handle the rest."**_ Even though the voice wasn't a physical presence, Kage could swear that he felt it was smiling. He could practically see the wide grin spread across its 'face'. He did as instructed, and black markings spread across his whole body. He felt himself speeding up. Soon, the people, the buildings, everything was a blur. He grinned. Despite not understanding anything else, he knew one thing.

This was fun!

* * *

" _ **We're Here."**_ The voice said as Kage reached a place that might have been a beach, if it could've been seen under all of the trash. He recognised the area, despite having never been physically present there before.

"Alright, so are you gonna explain what the hell is going on now?" Kage asked, his confusion and exhaustion merging to form the faint hint of fury that bit at tip of his tongue. "Why am I suddenly an anime character? Who the hell are you? _What_ the hell are you, for that matter. What were those black markings? Just what the hell is going on!?" Kage's voice was raised, but he didn't care. He just needed answers.

In response, he felt a tugging inside his body. He winced in pain as he clutched his stomach, one eye threatening to close.

He watched as a sliver of silver energy slipped out from his body, connecting to a black, formless orb that grew as the trail slipped out. Eventually, the trail stopped moving and simply hung loosely, like string from a knot. The black orb in front of him began to move, pulses of blackness rising slowly from it. It grew in size and then seemed to shift until it took a humanoid form. The form stared back at him, shining yellow eyes and a grin filled with black teeth that blended with the rest of itself. It looked like a black, mostly featureless doll attempting to look human. Upon its hands were four claw-like fingers and a similar thumb, while its feet remained featureless. It was of similar size and shape to Kage's new body.

" _ **Very well. If you are prepared to listen then I shall grant you the explanation you seek in person. I am Kuryo, Lord of the Void, and you are Darren Smythe, my newest host. Well done. It is a great honour to be bonded to the most powerful Void Demon in existence."**_ Kuryo spoke with the same voice Kage had heard within his head, but it sounded less loud and echo-y. Kage looked in utter shock for what felt like an eternity, but what was probably just a few minutes. It took him a moment more to find his voice.

"O-ok. Sure. So, what _is_ a 'Void Demon', exactly? And what does it have to do with me being in an anime, and ,oh yeah, _not dead."_ Kage couldn't keep his voice from shaking but he held on to the fury it held moments earlier. He was fairly certain it was all that kept him from fainting. Kuryo's mouth twitched downwards in distaste before sighing and replying.

" _ **A Void Demon is a being that exists between the barriers of the multiverse. We occupy the space known as the Void, hence our name. When I saw your soul drifting from your world to the afterlife, I decided that your skills would be much better spent doing something more meaningful than sitting around for the rest of time. So I plucked your soul and fused it with my own, before managing to find a convenient body. Don't worry about the morality of it all – this body was one foot through death's door already. It was trivial to restore it for our purposes."**_ Kuryo carefully explained, making sure Kage caught every word he was saying.

Kage, for his part, was truly attempting to understand what he was being told, but found it hard to accept. After all, it truly beggared belief. Demons throughout the multiverse? Merging souls? Rebirth? It was utter nonsense. But, Kage somehow knew that no matter how absurd, it had to be true. The only alternative was insanity.

And, frankly, Kage didn't want to think he was insane. Or rather, _more_ insane than usual.

"Skills?" Kage picked up on something Kuryo brought to his attention. "If you're looking for a skilled person, you got the wrong guy. I am _aggressively_ average. I'm not smart, strong or really all that good at anything, really. So what skills did you see that would be 'better spent' living in an anime. And for that matter, why are we in an anime anyway? If you have access to other worlds, couldn't you have just restored me in my original world?" Kuryo seemed displeased by his words, letting out a long sigh with his eyes closed before taking a step closer to Kage to continue.

" _ **So you didn't know. Of course. I suppose there's no way you could have been told of your Red Soul."**_ Kage raised an eyebrow at that, but was unable to question it before Kuryo continued. _**"As for your original world, my abilities would have aroused**_ **far** _ **too much suspicion, to say nothing of you coming back from the dead. By the time your soul was close enough for me to intercept, your body was already confirmed dead. Time passes differently in the Void after all. So, I searched your mind and found this place. With this world in its current state, my powers would blend right in and you could make use of them to amount to something less 'aggressively average' than you once were. This brings me onto the most important part: My powers, and how you can use them."**_ Kuryo paused, letting his answers sink in to Kage's mind. Kage hesitantly nodded in understanding; this was starting to make sense now.

"Alright, I'll bite: what exactly are my new powers?" Kage beckoned Kuryo to continue. For a moment, a grimace seemed to form over Kuryo's face, but it quickly vanished. The distaste in his voice, however, did not.

" _ **That, is something that is better explained with a demonstration. Which was inevitable, I suppose. I'm sure you noticed the pain when we separated, and the line of energy connecting us, yes?"**_ Kage nodded, taking notice of the faint throbbing pain in his body, and the silver strand of energy that still hung loosely between them. Despite its apparent looseness, Kage instinctively knew that there was no chance of it ever breaking.

" _ **That energy is known as our Soul-Bond. It's what keeps our souls combined and stable. Were we to ever fully separate, we would both be instantly, and painfully, killed."**_ A breath hitched in Kage's throat. _**"Even small amounts of separation will cause pain and prove detrimental. So for now, I recommend we re-combine. As the host, your control naturally overrides mine unless you will otherwise, so you will have to initiate the merging."**_ Kuryo explained quickly. Kage raised an eyebrow.

"How do I-?" Kage began, but suddenly, instinct took over his body and he spread his arms out wide. The silver trail leaking out from his body and towards Kuryo was reeled in like a fishing line, and Kuryo's form was forced back into a small orb of glistening shadows. It was rather unsettling to watch.

Kage let out a breath of exertion as the process completed itself. Idly, he noticed just how much better his body felt now that Kuryo was back within his form. A grin spread across his face.

" _ **Impressive."**_ Kuryo's voice came back in his head, restored to its usual loud echo. _**"Most hosts take more time to adapt to the merging process. You're the second host that didn't require any explanation. Perhaps this will be even more interesting than I thought."**_ Kage's smile increased, though with it came another raised eyebrow. How many hosts had Kuryo had?

" _ **Seven."**_ Kage jumped slightly as Kuryo answered without prompting. _**"Don't be so surprised. In this state, I have access to your thoughts. To a limited extent. I can't scan through all of your memories, and thoughts you seek to keep private are usually blocked off to me, but open thoughts are often accessible."**_ Kage nodded in understanding.

"So, about our superpowers?" Kage prompted. Kuryo seemed to grin from within his mind.

" _ **I was hoping you'd say that."**_ Kuryo seemed much more enthused than he had been throughout the rest of the conversation. Kage was practically shaking in anticipation. Demonic powers were the sort of thing that would get anyone excited.

" _ **Your human body and mind can only contain a few of my many abilities."**_ Kuryo seemed to explain and gloat simultaneously, drawing some slight ire from his apparent host.

" _ **The main abilities that will prove most useful to you will be Enhancement, Energy Manipulation and Construct Manipulation. There are a few others that you may be able to access with minimal risk, but we're going to start with the easy ones. Let's begin with Enhancement."**_ Kage nodded.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. Tell me if I'm doing it wrong or anything." Kage said as his smile calmed into a more focused and determined smirk. He closed his eyes, and focused his mind.

He felt a strong energy inside of himself. It was hard to explain, but it felt like a bubbling pool of energy, with it being mostly focused at his lower chest. He tried his best, and reached out towards the power. Once he felt himself close enough to touch the pool, he felt it rise to meet his hands. He gasped as his eyes opened, to find black markings adorning his arms.

The markings were a series of intricate lines, laid out in an angular pattern that reminded Kage of the lines of circuitry on a motherboard. As he observed the lines, he could feel the energy within, making him stronger than he could imagine.

" _ **That is the power of Enhancement. I suppose since you used it earlier, it would be easy for you to grasp."**_ As he spoke, Kage could feel that Kuryo's 'eyes' were wide, as though he was shocked with just how suddenly Kage had managed to use his new power.

" _ **I'm sure I don't need to tell you that this power improves you strength to absurd degrees, easily going into superhuman levels. Even with you in control, you still wield great power. Without any enemies, I can't give you any sense of scale, but I'm sure you can gauge it for yourself in due time."**_ Kage nodded quickly to himself. Well, technically to Kuryo, but it was really himself since they were merged. At least, he thought so. It was hard to tell.

" _ **Stay focused."**_ Kuryo reminded him. Kage looked at his arms, in time to see the markings flicker for a moment before stabilising. _**"You're still new at this, so a great deal of focus will be required for even the most basic uses of your powers. You'll have to work on that. For now, let me teach you your next power: Energy Manipulation."**_

"Alright, how do I use that one?" Kage asked quietly.

" _ **You feel the energy in your arms? Try pushing that power out into the palm of your hand. Once you've managed that, attempt to force it outwards. Think you can do that?"**_ Kuryo spoke with a voice that clearly showed that he didn't in fact expect Kage to manage that. Kage simply nodded.

"I've got this." He whispered to himself focusing his mind. Yet again, he envisioned the bubbling pool of power, this time with a thin river pouring out to his arms. He clenched his teeth and attempted to force the energy out from his hands. It took him longer than his Enhancement, but after a few minutes, he could feel the energy leak out from his hand. Opening his eyes, he saw that a small orb had formed, floating above his right palm.

" _ **You're not half bad at this."**_ Kuryo gave him some small praise. Kage decided not to pay him much mind. He pointed his hand at a nearby pile of trash, focusing on a broken microwave. He attempted to reach out and push at the ball of energy with his mind. The orb shot out, becoming a thin cylindrical blast of black power, shooting clean through the microwave, as well as a large pile of trash behind it. The blast seemed to dissipate as it reached the end. Kage simply stared out in shock.

"Whoa." He said, because there was nothing more he could really say to that. After all, what _could_ be said to firing a powerful black laser through a huge pile of metal? Kage didn't have an answer. Kuryo, who was likely more used to this sort of behaviour, didn't seem all that impressed.

" _ **If you can wipe that dumbstruck expression of you face for a moment,"**_ Kuryo interrupted Kage's awe, gaining his eager attention. _**"We still have one more ability to go through before we're done here."**_ Kage nodded. If he was remembering correctly, the next and final power they would be going over was Construct Manipulation.

" _ **Correct."**_ Kuryo answered him. _**"If you managed the others, this one should be a piece of cake. Just start with what you did for your energy blast. Once you have the orb of energy, try moulding it into something, instead of firing it. It can be anything you want. A sword, a book, a brick, anything."**_ Kuryo's explanation struck Kage with a hint of inspiration.

"A sword, huh?" Kage grew yet another grin on his face. He idly wondered how many times he would make that expression today. The current guess was infinity times two.

"Trace on." Kage quoted, managing to form a rather nice looking one handed blade in his left hand. It was black, with a hexagonal pattern across the blade. His grin blew up into a euphoric smile.

"Yes! I have always wanted to do that!" Kage yelled excitedly. He took a basic sword stance, and attempted a few slashes in the air. He could feel the blade rippling with power, just like his blast.

" _ **Huh, that actually did something."**_ Kage raised an eyebrow at his companion's words. _**"That incantation, I mean."**_ He clarified. _**"Try not to get too excited, but that line alone has fractionally improved the structural integrity of the blade. In other words, you just made a better blade through a reference. I don't know whether that's supposed to be impressive or pathetic."**_

"Both. How about both." Kage said, in a matter of fact fashion. It was then that a small glint appeared in his eyes. "Wait, if that improved the blade, does that mean I could -?!" Kuryo interrupted him.

" _ **We are**_ **not** _ **doing the UBW. The amount of energy to achieve something of that level would cause too much bodily harm. Maybe if I was in control, but you stand no chance."**_

"Aw, you're no fun." Kage adopted a mock pout of despair on his face. Deactivating his power, his sword dissipated into tiny fragments that retreated into his hand, disappearing into him. Suddenly, he felt tired enough to collapse.

And so, he collapsed onto the sandy beach, and fell unconscious, another smile upon his face.

" _ **Goodnight for now, Host. Enjoy your sweet dreams while they last."**_

" _ **They will fade away soon enough."**_

* * *

 _ **A.N**_ _: Sorry for the wait. I'm not great at updating. I had a lot of fun working on this chapter, so I hope you all enjoy reading it just as much. Future chapters may not be quite as long as this one, as lots of exposition was needed, but I hope I managed to keep it engaging._

 _I mean, I'd be a pretty bad writer if I managed to make Demonic Superpowers boring, now wouldn't I?_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Lord Terronus_

 _P.S: In case you don't know what 'UBW' is, it's a reference to Fate/ Stay Night. If you do get the references in this chapter, then firstly, Hope you enjoyed and Secondly, I didn't bring it up for nothing._


	3. Chapter 3: Bonds

**The Hero & The Demon **

**Chapter 3: Bonds**

Izuku Midoriya felt his muscles burn, struggling to keep himself standing. His breath came out in heaving gasps as he pushed himself to move, despite the incredible strain it put on his body to continue to do so.

"THIS IS QUITE THE COMFY PERCH!" A familiar voice taunted him from behind, causing him to briefly lose focus and collapse onto the ground. He looked back to see All Might, sitting upon a large and _impossibly_ heavy fridge. All Might continued.

"SOME MOVEMENT WOULD MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE, THOUGH!" All Might joked. If Izuku had the strength, he might have glared back at the man and show him a piece of his mind. As it was, however, against All Might, he could only at best mumble out his grievances.

"C'mon, All Might… You're already 274 kilos on your own, not even counting the fridge!" Izuku complained. He wasn't sure how _anyone_ could be expected to carry all this weight, let alone a Quirkless kid like him. All Might's smile seemed to widen as he answered.

"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW I'VE LOST WEIGHT! IT'S ONLY 255 KILOS IN MY CURRENT STATE!" If he wasn't standing before the Symbol of Peace, Izuku would have rolled his eyes. In what world was _that_ a big enough difference to allow him to move any further? Which reminded him…

"Hey, All Might. Why am I hauling trash around here, anyways?" He enquired. The thought had been bugging him since they arrived, and now seemed like as good a time as any to ask. All Might started to move from the fridge as he answered.

"BECAUSE, YOU AREN'T READY FOR MY POWER!" He boomed. Izuku quickly panicked in response, tears bursting forth from his eyes as he tried to say that All Might had _declared_ him as his worthy successor. His crying was short-lived as All Might continued to explain.

"YOUR BODY, I MEAN. YOUR BODY IS UNPREPARED." All Might started to explain, attempting to comfort his young successor somewhat, but he found himself swiftly interrupted as a beam of black energy suddenly shot through the air, blasting a hole right through several nearby pieces of trash.

"Would ya quit it with all the yelling…?! Some people are tryin' to sleep over here!" A young boy's voice called out to the two of them. They both turned at the same time to see a black-haired boy with an arm raised towards them. It would appear he had fired the blast at them. He glared at All Might specifically, but the expression was hardly threatening coming from such a small teen. Still, his presence was a shock to both of them.

"OH? WHAT HAVE WE HERE?! STAY BACK, YOUNG MIDORIYA. HE COULD BE-" All Might was cut off by the boy yet again.

"I said, STOP! YELLING!" The boy, rather ironically, yelled his grievances, and in an instant he was right in front of the two, followed by a swift burst of frantic wind, tossing sand into the air.

" _What the…?!"_ Izuku thought, holding his arm in front of his eyes. _"I didn't even see him move! Wasn't his Quirk the laser?"_ He looked at the boy for a moment, as he stood before them, arms crossed. Come to think of it, he looked familiar…

"Seriously, you don't need to be so damn loud, you…" The boy glanced up to see better who he was speaking to, and his face paled at the sight. "Ah…" The boy suddenly looked terrified. "I just… yelled at All Might…" He managed. "Oh no."

"You're just _now_ noticing that?!" Izuku shrieked in surprise. The boy suddenly turned to face him, and in that moment they shared the same thought.

"Oh, I remember you!" They both spoke in unison. All Might raised an eyebrow at the two of them.

"OH? DO YOU TWO KNOW EACHOTHER?" All Might enquired, causing the new boy to wince and place his hands on his ears.

"Ow! Will you just stop with the yelling already?! Just power down if you're gonna be so loud all the time…" The boy grumbled. A moment passed before the boy seemed to register his words. Izuku and All Might both simply watched, mouths agape, as the boy's face paled.

"I'm… not supposed to know about that, am I…?" He nervously said, a shaky smile on his face. All Might and Izuku both just looked to each other, and then back to the boy. He nervously took a step back.

"W-who are you?" Izuku decided to speak up. The boy blinked, before a look of realisation appeared on his face. He face-palmed before answering.

"Right, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? I'm Dar-" The boy suddenly coughed. "Sorry, something caught in my throat. I'm Kage Sekai! Nice to meet you guys." He extended a hand, which Izuku nervously took. The boy quickly pulled him to his feet.

"All right, your turn Green-Bean." The boy-Sekai- said. His cheerful tone was a stark departure from mere moments ago, where he seemed terrified. He almost seemed like a different person. However, that did not bother Izuku nearly as much as his apparent choice of nickname.

"I-Izuku Midoriya." He hesitantly replied. "Wait, Green-Bean…?" Sekai chuckled, seemingly to himself.

"I dunno, it's just the first thing I thought of. I'm… not good with nicknames." He confessed. All-Might cleared his throat loudly.

"WHILE IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU," Sekai covered his ears and shot a look at All-Might, as though to say 'really?'. "YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO, YOUNG MAN!" He picked Sekai up by his T-shirt, causing some small amount of sand to fall to the ground.

"Hey! Easy on the-" Whatever Sekai was trying to say died in his throat as he saw the look in All-Might's eyes. Izuku was very familiar with it. All-Might always wore a smile on his face, but when facing villains, the smile looked comparatively more unsettling. The sharpness found within his eyes became pointed, focused like a knife, stabbing fear into the hearts of villains everywhere.

In that moment, even Izuku felt a chill go up his spine at the sight.

"Who are you?" All-Might's usual jovial façade cracked as he interrogated Sekai. "How do you know so much?" Sekai was pale and seemed to struggle to speak for a moment.

Something felt wrong. Sekai's response was more than just basic terror. He carried a strange aura with it. It appeared to be almost _familiar_ to him.

"(I-I-I-don't know what to say!)" Sekai seemed to speak another language in his panic. "(I just know stuff! Please don't kill me…)" He was visibly shaking in All-Might's hold. What Sekai said next caused both All-Might and himself to stop in place. It was something neither of them had ever expected.

"(Not again…)" Izuku recognised what he was saying. He was speaking English, which was surprising given his appearance. Especially the clarity of it. Izuku had studied the language to some extent – admittedly, partially because he wanted to know what All-Might's attack names meant – but Sekai spoke it as naturally as Izuku did Japanese. Furthermore, his words- or at least those Izuku could make out – were concerning to say the least.

What did he mean by _not again_?

All-Might gently lowered the boy to the ground. Sekai stood shakily, small tears in his eyes, before out of nowhere, a black tendril seemed to swipe at them.

"Ah!" Sekai himself nearly jumped back, as the tendril retreated, seemingly into his body. Before it vanished, however, it seemed to point at All-Might, in an almost accusing manner.

"Uh… sorry about that?" Sekai attempted to speak calmly, though his voice sounded quiet. "I… have no idea what that was. It's never done that before." He was speaking in Japanese once more, and for the first time, Izuku noticed tiny black markings on the boy's neck. They were miniscule, but they seemed to appear only when he spoke Japanese. A translator perhaps?

"Possible, but it wouldn't add up with his other shown capabilities which in and of themselves were contrary to one another and don't add up to just one Quirk, its versatility is uniquely strange as it behaves almost like multiple Quirks-"

"HEY, HEY! LET'S ALL CALM DOWN HERE!" All-Might interrupted Izuku's thought process, whereupon he realised he had been saying that out loud. He noticed Sekai had wide eyes that were pointed at him.

"SO, YOUNG SEKAI-" All-Might began, but Sekai interrupted him.

"Kage, please." He requested. "Using my last name just sounds…weird." He added to himself quietly, though Izuku managed to catch it.

"YOUNG KAGE, THEN!" All-Might decreed. Se- er, _Kage_ nodded, though All-Might's volume still appeared to bother him. "YOU HAVE NO EXPLANATION FOR YOUR KNOWLEDGE, IS THAT WHAT YOU SAY?" All-Might enquired, though this time less seriously. Clearly, he too had noticed the effect he was having on Sek- _Kage_ (Izuku made a mental note to get used to that.) and was trying to avoid doing so any further.

Kage shrugged his shoulders. "Kinda, yeah. It's… well, it's hard to explain. Let's just say it has something to do with my 'Quirk' and leave it there for now." He tried. All-Might examined him cautiously, causing Kage to squirm.

"Look, I know what you're thinkin', but I assure you, I am _not_ an enemy or a threat to either of you." All-Might chuckled in response.

"I THINK THE BURNT HOLES IN METAL WOULD DISAGREE!" He quipped, clearly joking as he gestured to the holes Kage's earlier beam had left. Kage winced in response.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I really wasn't thinkin' clearly." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, before his eyes went wide again, and he became more serious.

"But really, I don't mean anythin' by it. It's got nothing to do with All for One or any other weird crap." All-Might seemed surprised whereas Izuku himself was more confused by Kage's words.

"I just _know_ stuff, y'know? I know everyone." He finished with a shrug. Izuku found himself strangely intrigued.

"Everyone?" He asked, drawing Kage's attention. "Even me?" Kage smirked at the question.

"Sure! I can prove it too!" He seemed to brag. "Your name's Izuku Midoriya, but ya already told me that. I know that your mother's name is Inko, your father is named Hisashi, but he works overseas, your favourite food is Katsudon, and you're Quirkless." Izuku stared at him, mouth agape. Kage smiled.

"And that's just from seein' ya once!" He said triumphantly. Something seemed to occur to him as he said that however, so he leaned in a bit closer.

"Also…" He whispered, just loud enough for both All-Might and Izuku to hear, but not loud enough that anyone else could overhear. "I know about _One For All,_ too."

"But don't worry!" Kage hastily added, noticing the alarm on Izuku's face, to say nothing of All-Might. "Like I told ya, I'm no enemy. If you say so, I won't tell a soul." He mimed zipping his mouth shut as he spoke. All-Might coughed.

"That would be best, if you would." He said softly, and Kage nodded eagerly in response.

"Gotcha! Your secret's safe with me!" Kage proclaimed. Izuku released a breath that he hadn't even noticed he was holding. Kage was certainly… unexpected, but he seemed pleasant enough.

" _Still…"_ the cautious part of his mind thought. _"I should still be careful around him. He's not hostile, but he's definitely hiding something."_

"So, now that we've cleared that up," Kage clapped his hands together as he spoke. "What were you guys up to? Y'know, before all _this_ happened." He chuckled slightly. All-Might let out a long sigh.

Izuku got the impression that he was just as much at a loss as himself.

"WELL, YOUNG MIDORIYA HERE WAS WORKING ON HIS TRAINING. WHICH I'M GUESSING YOU _ALSO_ KNEW ABOUT?" Until that moment, Izuku had thought it an impossible task to roll one's eyes verbally. But All-Might continued to impress him with his ability to do the impossible. Kage, meanwhile, laughed awkwardly.

"Hehe… Maybe." He winked back at the hero. Izuku was similarly amazed by Kage, not just by his seemingly infinite knowledge, but by his inability- or perhaps, even more impressively, _indifference_ to the hero's lack of patience.

"If you want, I could help." Kage looked to Izuku with his unexpected offer. He raised an eyebrow at Kage, who scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I-I mean, there's a lot of stuff here, so…" Kage stammered out. "Maybe a second pair of hands would help?"

"THE OFFER IS APPRECIATED!" All-Might spoke before Izuku could respond. "BUT I'M AFRAID YOUR ASSISTANCE WOULD BE COUNTER INTUITIVE, AS THIS TRAINING IS FOR BUILDING MUSCLE MASS." He explained. Kage made an 'ah' noise of understanding, before shifting uncomfortably.

"Is there anything else I can do to help?" He shifted on his feet. "I mean, this is preparation for the UA Entrance Exams, right? Maybe I could help with something like combat training, or studying, or… I dunno, something?" Izuku looked at him strangely. He seemed rather insistent on the idea of helping him. It was strange to see someone – a complete stranger, even- that was willing to help him.

After all, no one else seemed to care. Except All-Might.

"Why?" Izuku felt compelled to ask. Kage looked confused.

"Do I need a reason? I wanna help ya, 'cause it's a good thing to do. What more do you want?" He seemed to be genuinely _confused._ It was as though the mere concept of _not_ helping was something he just didn't understand.

"Also, I don't really have anywhere to go…" Kage added quietly. Izuku and All-Might looked at each other before All-Might spoke.

"What do you mean? Don't you have a home, a family waiting for you?" All-Might spoke more softly than before. He had an understanding tone of voice to him, as though this was a conversation he had had before. Kage shrugged his shoulders.

"Nope. At least, not that I know of. The last thing I remember is waking up in some alleyway yesterday. I've got nothin' before that." Kage replied. Izuku noticed that something wasn't quite right about how he spoke. He didn't seem to be lying, but there was something else, something he refused to add. All-Might didn't appear to spot anything odd, so Izuku supposed he might have just been overthinking this.

Besides, did it really matter? Kage's kindness was something Izuku had rarely experienced, and he even knew that he was Quirkless, and didn't seem to care. He made no mention of it, and didn't seem surprised that he wanted to go to UA. In fact, he seemed to _expect_ it.

WELL," All-Might coughed. "I SUPPOSE WE CAN FIND _SOMETHING_ FOR YOU TO DO! FOR NOW, I SUPPOSE YOUNG MIDORIYA COULD DO WITH A _LITTLE_ HELP!" He said carefully. Izuku might have been offended in any other circumstance, but it was impossible to argue with the idea that moving a massive fridge with _All-Might_ on top would be rather overly difficult for just one person.

Kage's face seemed to light up as he looked at All-Might with wide eyes and a grin.

"Really?!" He exclaimed, before composing himself for a moment. "I-I mean, I'll do my best!" He added more confidently. All-Might let out a booming laugh.

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" He proclaimed as he hopped back onto the fridge. "BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU, WE'LL MAKE THIS BEACH SPOTLESS!" Izuku nodded enthusiastically at his words, Kage swiftly following suit.

"You got it!" The two of them proclaimed in unison. Izuku quickly returned to the ropes that were positioned at the front of the fridge and began to pull upon them mercilessly, whilst Kage assisted by pushing against the fridge. Between them, they were at least capable of getting the blasted thing to move, at least a little bit.

This was never how Izuku had imagined meeting a new best friend, but this was the day he realised just how peculiar a thing fate was.

* * *

 **AN:** _Hehe… Been a while, hasn't it?_

 _In all seriousness, I am truly sorry about just how long this took. A lot has happened since we last met. I've been very busy with High School, leaving that and going to College, that whole business, attending a funeral, a broken laptop and a whole bunch of other real life stuff. I've also been working on some other stories and kind of neglected this one, and for that, I apologise. To make up for it, I'm uploading this and Chapter 4 at the same time._

 _Remember how I said that future chapters would be shorter that 2? Don't be surprised if you, didn't, it was a year ago, but that ended up not being quite true. I had a lot of fun working on this. This and chapter 4 were originally supposed to be just the one chapter, but they both expanded enough that I felt separating them was the better choice. You'll see why. In any case, I look forward to writing more and I hope to see you all again soon._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Lord Terronus_


	4. Chapter 4: Truth

**The Hero & The Demon **

**Chapter 4: Truth**

 **Warning - This chapter deals with a serious traumatic experience and includes a detailed description of a panic attack. You have been warned.**

It had been about a month since Izuku Midoriya had first began his training in order to gain _One For All,_ allowing him to begin his journey towards becoming the greatest hero of all time. One month ago, he would have given anything in order to even have a _chance_ of obtaining such an opportunity.

However, at this very moment, he wished he had never even _heard_ All-Might's offer.

"All right," Izuku's newest friend, and simultaneously the current bane of his existence spoke whilst standing above Izuku, who was currently collapsed in the sand. "I think we could both do with a break." He said, breathing heavily before he too took a seat upon the ground. Izuku tried to haul himself up, but Kage stopped him from rising beyond a seat.

"I can keep going." Izuku protested. He was sure of that, even if his muscles burned, and his body was still sickeningly heavy, and his vision shook when he moved. He was sure he could get this if they just tried again _just one more time and he could –_

"Stop." Kage's voice was almost eerily doubled, and Izuku yet again noticed black markings around his neck. They seemed to slowly drift across it. He glanced at them and, yet again, was unsure as to their exact function.

He had quickly figured out that they were related to Kage's Quirk – or rather, his 'Quirk', as Kage himself hesitated to call it such without air-quotes – but he was still lost as to what exactly said Quirk was. It was almost infuriatingly versatile. Kage seemed to be able to use it to shoot out various blasts of energy, enhance his own body, and construct seemingly anything his mind could conjure. Idly, Izuku noticed that the protective gear that Kage had formed around the two of them had dissipated.

His thoughts were interrupted as Kage let go of him and let out a long sigh. "Whether or not _you_ can keep goin', _I_ can't. I need to sit down." Kage explained. Izuku hesitated, before finally conceding and kept himself sitting. Kage smirked.

"You know, you're a fast learner." Izuku looked at Kage strangely as he spoke. "I'm serious! It's only been a few weeks and you're already givin' me a hell of a workout." Kage admitted. Izuku felt a small amount of pride at that, letting a tiny smile cross his face.

"T-thanks." He replied quietly. "But I've still got a long way to go." He continued, his voice rising. "I'm nowhere close to the level of an actual hero. Maybe if I practice the techniques at home more? I'd have to adjust my workout time and sleep hours to compensate but in theory my combat skills could increase more rapidly with more solo progression and I suppose it would assist my physical strength somewhat and-"

"You're muttering again." Kage snapped Izuku out of his thoughts, shocking him. "Besides, you don't wanna overwork yourself. Trust me, you're already making good progress. I wouldn't have made todays sparring session harder otherwise." He added that last part under his breath, but Izuku still caught it, and levelled his best attempt at a glare at the black-haired boy.

Since Kage had insisted on helping Izuku with his training, he and All-Might had been carefully working out the plan to allow him to be ready for the UA entrance exam. Along the way, Kage had confessed that he was also interested in applying, and All-Might became briefly distracted in ensuring that Kage could also attempt it. This proved to be surprisingly difficult, as aside from a simple ID card, Kage had no records of important information, so All-Might had to work double-time to make sure that he had the information necessary to even complete the application.

"I-it's really not that big of a deal…!" Kage had tried to dissuade All-Might at the time, whilst he was in his True Form, reflecting his more exhausted state. All-Might had simply laughed it off, before giving a touching response.

"Nonsense, Young Kage!" He had said. He took a long glance at Izuku, who had been dutifully working away at the trash-piles on the beach. "As a certain someone has shown me, _everyone_ deserves a chance to become a hero." He smiled. Kage followed his gaze and had a similar grin cross his face.

"I suppose I can't argue with you there." He had said. Izuku had tears in his eyes at the sentiment, but it was hard to cry whilst he was carrying broken microwaves in either arm.

Not quite as hard as not dropping two microwaves as he began to tear up anyway, though. That was _not_ his finest moment.

That was two weeks ago now, and whilst Izuku was following a very rigid training plan as per All-Might's instructions, said plan had yet to be completely written out. Still, at this point both he and Kage had fallen into an effective routine of training. It had only been a month, but Izuku was feeling quietly confident that he would be ready to pass once their training was complete.

As for Kage?

Izuku wasn't sure. In terms of physical prowess, Kage was certainly prepared, and he was sure that his Quirk would allow him to get through most physical trials. However, he had noticed that Kage had some more serious issues regarding his academic abilities. This was made clear when Izuku had allowed him to have a look into his notebook – not without a fair amount of persuasion from the black-haired boy – and Kage had failed to notice that his Quirk had activated, this time centred around his eyes. When Izuku had asked him if he could turn it off, Kage responded by flinching.

"A-ah. I-I can try…" He had half-muttered to himself. After a deep breath, it seemed the black veins around his eyes reluctantly lowered. What followed made one thing rather abundantly clear.

Kage could not read. Or at least, he could not read Japanese without his Quirk. That had only become clearer once Kage had hurriedly attempted to defend himself, worrying that Izuku was judging him for this.

"O-of course I can read!" he protested. He then proceeded to read out all of the English names of All-Might's attacks that were stored in the notebook, as well as one or two additional pieces of English text that Izuku had jotted down.

"K-Kage," Izuku hesitated, worried he might make the situation worse. "D-don't take this the wrong way or anything, but… well… are you…" Izuku trailed off, but Kage seemed to catch on to what he had meant.

"If you were about to say 'slow' then no, I'm not." Kage responded, fortunately in a much calmer way. "At least, I don't think so. I just can't read Japanese because-" Kage cut himself off. Izuku had seen him do this occasionally before and had deduced that he did it when he was trying to hide something, which Izuku had managed to gather was something related to his past.

"Because… of reasons I can't explain." Kage eventually sighed, defeated. Izuku wanted to ask _why_ he couldn't explain, but he hesitated. If it was truly something serious, then it probably wasn't his place to pry, even if he was curious. Besides, as long as Kage had his Quirk, then it wasn't really much of an issue.

He still wondered about what Kage was hiding from him, even now. Little things stood out as possible clues, like Kage talking to himself as though someone else was there, or the way his Quirk seemed to act with or without his directions, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't quite piece it all together.

"Hey." Kage snapped him out of his thoughts, and Izuku looked over to see him glancing with a raised eyebrow at him. "You've been kinda starin at me for a few minutes now. Did I get somethin' on my face?" He joked. Izuku let out a nervous chuckle.

"S-sorry. I was just thinking." Izuku replied. Kage looked confused for a moment before nodding.

"Aye." He said. Izuku was unsure of why he used such uncommon wording, but dismissed as he continued. "Sorry I've been so vague with ya. It's not that I don't _want_ to say anythin' but…" He hesitated.

"Is it hard to explain?" Izuku asked. Kage chuckled a little in a melancholy fashion.

"More like it's hard to believe. It's… a long story." He finished. Izuku wanted to ask more, but Kage sprang up to his feet before he could try.

"Ah, that's enough sittin' around for now! We've got more trash to haul, right?" Kage grinned, extending out a hand to help Izuku up. Izuku looked at him for another moment before grabbing on, whereupon he was hauled swiftly to his feet.

"I guess so." Izuku returned with a shaky grin of his own. Whilst he was still wanting for answers regarding his new friend, that didn't overtake his desire to become a hero. For them _both_ to become heroes, even.

He supposed that he should focus on that for now. His questions could wait.

With that, the two boys got back to work.

* * *

It was around 9PM before Izuku could be persuaded to leave for the day, but eventually Kage was able to convince him that he needed some rest. It took quite some time, but he was finally able to manage it by threatening an even more intense training session.

"Y-you wouldn't! You can't!" Izuku had pleaded. Kage shook his head slowly.

"If you won't get some rest willingly, I'll just exhaust ya." He replied resolutely. Izuku shuddered at the thought.

" _ **You know, I don't see**_ **us** _ **getting any rest."**_ Kuryo quipped within Kage's head. He smirked just a little. Kuryo had made a habit of interrupting him, usually with a snide remark. He used to say ominous things as well, but Kage was quick to put a stop to that. It was rather a humorous scene when he confronted the Void Demon on the subject.

* * *

" _ **I-I have no idea what you mean…"**_ Kuryo had attempted to play dumb at the time. Kage refused to brush it aside, however. It was causing something of a disruption to his sleeping patterns.

"Bullshit." Kage had told him. "You've been sayin' creepy crap since we met." Despite lacking any eyebrows, Kuryo looked as though he had just raised one in a curious fashion. He was surprisingly expressive for an extra-dimensional being, Kage thought.

"Look, I get it." Kage attempted. Kuryo hesitated as he continued. "You wanna take over my bodyand do… whatever it is Void Demons do with bodies, right? Go crazy with demonic power? A killing spree-" Kage was interrupted By Kuryo's clawed hands roughly grabbing him by the shirt and hoisting him off the ground. His glowing yellow eyes glared into him, killing off any words in his throat.

" _ **I. Do NOT. Kill."**_ Kuryo hissed angrily at him, his mouth appearing fanged and jagged, his expression warped into one of pure contempt. Kage froze. _**"Whatever you may think I am, I assure you I am no callous murderer. If this body is to take a life, it shall not be on**_ **my** _ **hands. Are we clear?"**_ He seemed to threaten. Kage made a few gasping noises before he replied.

"Y-yes! Yeah, we're clear! T-totally!" Kage pleaded hastily. Kuryo seemed to narrow his eyes and bring him closer to his face, before relenting and dropping Kage to the ground, where he began coughing and shaking. Kuryo let out a long sigh before he spoke again.

" _ **Aside from that, you are perceptive."**_ He explained, much to Kage's surprise. _**"I do intend on eventually taking your body. What say you in response?"**_ Kuryo had a strange hint of curiosity in his voice, confusing Kage. What was he expecting? Perhaps for him to offer up his body?

If so, then he would be sorely disappointed.

"I'm not giving up that easy." Kage finally spoke. Kuryo looked as though he wanted to respond, but he kept going. "There's no way I'm just gonna hand it over to you. You can _try_ and take it, but I'll make sure you don't succeed." He proclaimed, finally meeting Kuryo's sharp gaze with a glare of his own.

"But I don't want to keep fighting you about it forever." Kuryo looked strangely as Kage extended his hand. "So, for now, how about we just work together? I know you don't wanna fight either." Kage spread a smile across his face and invited Kuryo to shake his hand. "Deal?" He tried.

Kuryo started to chuckle quietly to himself. Then, he began to do it louder. Soon, he was overcome with laughter, practically roaring with it as Kage looked on strangely.

"I-is that a no?" Kage tried to sound threatening, but in reality he was just confused. Besides, he didn't think he could properly threaten a demon from beyond the veil of time and space and actually have that _work_.

" _ **You are a strange Host."**_ Kuryo finally said, soundly oddly jovial. _**"What makes you think I care for 'fighting' you? Are you confident that you could stop me, or simply naïve?"**_ Kage tilted his head at the smiling demon.

"Neither." He said. "I just trust you." Kuryo stopped suddenly, and looked at Kage with wide eyes.

" _ **You…trust me? What do you mean?"**_ The demon seemed to be caught off-guard by Kage's statement, so he hastily attempted to clarify.

"Well, you seem reasonable enough." He spoke hesitantly, the words sounding strange even as he said them. "You've already been willing enough to cooperate by lending me your powers. Regardless of your intentions, or even your actions, I can't see you as an actual threat to me." He continued. Kuryo was already shocked beyond words, but he completely froze at Kage's final words.

"You're a good person. I can just tell." He shrugged as he said it, a seemingly insignificant line to him. He didn't even have to think. He just knew what he was saying was correct.

Kuryo was speechless.

" _ **You…"**_ Kuryo tried to speak, but stopped himself. Any words he thought of failed to capture what he was thinking.

"Are… are you okay?" Kage snapped him out of his stupor. He blinked for a few moments before speaking again.

" _ **I don't know whether or not you are brave, or just stupid."**_ Kuryo sighed. Kage laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Both. Let's say both." He joked. Kuryo chuckled yet again, but unlike before, he didn't break down into fits of laughter. Instead, he crossed his arms.

" _ **Very well. For the time being, we can 'cooperate'"**_ Kuryo said the word with a look of both amusement and disdain. Kage smiled, but Kuryo continued before he could get too excited. _**"**_ **However,** _ **if you should falter, I**_ **will** _ **take what is rightfully mine."**_ He compromised. Kage's smile looked just a little tired as he answered.

"Alright, I'll make sure not to 'falter', I guess." He answered. "So, do we have a deal?" He held out his hand once again, and, after a moment of hesitation, Kuryo took it.

" _ **I suppose we do."**_ He seemed to smile just a little, as though reminded of a distant memory.

* * *

"Uh, Kage?" Izuku snapped Kage out of his sudden reminiscence. "I'm just… going now?" He said, a hint of confusion in his voice. Kage laughed.

"Sorry, I just spaced out for a minute. See ya!" He waved enthusiastically, and Izuku returned it with a small smile and another wave before disappearing on his way home. Kage shook his head a little, chuckling under his breath.

" _ **You shouldn't be so easily distracted."**_ Kuryo admonished. Kage's face turned to an almost comical pout.

"Well, _you_ should stop interrupting me!" He retaliated with a hint of childish indignation. Kuryo sighed in his head.

" _ **Sure, I'll just amuse myself talking to someone else. Oh wait!"**_ He mocked. Kage went to answer, but stopped himself. He didn't have much he could respond with. It was admittedly true that for the most part, Kage was the only one Kuryo could interact with. He sighed in frustration.

"I know, I know." He finally said. "It's probably real boring up in there," He tapped his head with his knuckles lightly. "But you and I both know _why_ you can't get out. You said it yourself, we'd draw too much unwanted attention." He reasoned. Kuryo huffed in his mind.

" _ **That's why we entered this world. To reduce that-"**_ Kuryo was cut off by Kage interrupting him.

"Well, that hasn't really worked out, has it? Our powers still arouse suspicion even _in_ this world. To say nothing of our lack of records or past." He added, berating Kuryo slightly. The demon paused in response.

" _ **I will admit, that was a short-term issue. But in the long-run, my obscuring of this body's records is more convenient. Besides, it was only a problem when**_ **someone** _ **decided to yell at All-Might!"**_ Kage had to admit, he had a point. Their relative anonymity allowed them go wherever they pleased and act free of restraint for the most part. As long as they were careful about it, they could do just about anything, without having to bring other people into it like they would have to if Kuryo hadn't obscured the records of Kage Sekai, the young Japanese runaway.

"In my defence, the All-Might thing is paying off." Kage tried, but Kuryo raised his head from Kage's right shoulder, purely for the sake of shaking it dismissively before dissipating it. Kage frowned at him for such actions.

" _ **It may have, but it could have gone much worse. We could've died!"**_ Kage flinched at the mere sound of the word, and Kuryo hesitated. _**"W-well, maybe not**_ **that** _ **bad…"**_ He hastily added, in an attempt to calm his host.

"We're gettin' nowhere with this." Kage said, and Kuryo found himself in agreement. "We'll talk about telling 'em the truth another time. For now, it's still too risky for you to come out." Kage concluded. Kuryo huffed again, but made no attempt to argue further.

" _ **Fine."**_ He agreed. _**"Just don't keep me waiting too long."**_ Kuryo finished talking, leaving Kage to his own thoughts. How long would he have to hide all of this? He couldn't say. He just hoped he didn't have to deal with it for a long time.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for the two of them.

* * *

 _-Two Months Later-_

Kage found himself wandering the city of Mustafu, having nothing better to do. Training on the beach usually took up most of his time, but he did have days off every now and again. An opportunity to rest for a bit. He knew that Izuku tended to try and do additional training on his own on such days, but aside from barging into his home, he couldn't really stop him.

" _ **Is there a reason we**_ **don't** _ **just do that? Force is very persuasive."**_ Kuryo commented, half grumbling and half questioning. Kage chuckled a little, a sight that would have drawn more eyes to him if it wasn't for the fact that he had conjured a set of mock-headphones with his powers. It was Kuryo's idea to use his powers more subtly like that, and Kage was quite fond of the suggestion.

"We can't just beat people up until they agree with us." Kage lightly admonished. Kuryo seemed genuinely surprised at the idea.

" _ **Really? That's how the Void works."**_ Kage raised an eyebrow. Kuryo hadn't elaborated much on the Void he was from. All Kage knew was that it was a space between dimensions where he and his kind lived.

Come to think of it, he still lacked a strong idea of what a 'Void Demon' actually was. Really, all he knew was where they were from. Answering his unspoken questions, Kuryo spoke up again.

" _ **Void Demons are comprised of an ancient form of energy. It came from the death of a… well, 'God' is probably the closest term you'll understand."**_ Kage's eyes went wide.

"Wait, so you're made of dead god bits? Cool." Kuryo grunted, causing Kage to silence himself. "Sorry, go on." He asked. Kuryo sighed before continuing.

" _ **A gross over-simplification, but you're not wrong, per se."**_ Kuryo hesitantly confirmed. Kage nodded along, almost as though to a tune of a song. _**"Since we're made of 'Dead God Bits' as you so eloquently put it, we require hosts to manifest in a physical world. That's where you come in. It's a sort of symbiotic relationship."**_ Kuryo explained. Kage took a moment to absorb the information before asking any questions.

"Then why try to take over?" He asked. If their bond was truly symbiotic, they would both be benefitting from its current status. Kage seemed to feel Kuryo smile from within.

" _ **You are provided with power, we are provided with presence. That is the rule of the Void Demon bond. We simply seek to truly**_ **live.** _ **I'm sure you can relate."**_ Kage reluctantly agreed to the demon's words. _**"Living within another is not unbearable, but freedom is my ideal goal. Such is only possible with either full control, or an Ideal Bond."**_ Kuryo answered. Kage found himself feeling a little uncomfortable.

He almost felt _bad_ for Kuryo. Almost. There was, however, one other detail he was curious about.

"What's an 'Ideal Bond'?" He asked. It certainly sounded like a better solution to their problems than Kuryo taking over Kage's body completely. Before Kuryo could answer his question however, a scream rang out.

"Get away from me!" A voice screeched. Kage hurriedly looked around, and noticed that he seemed to be the only one to notice.

" _ **Just enhancement on your ears."**_ Kage barely listened as Kuryo spoke. Instead, he began to run in the direction of the scream. He sprinted as fast as possible, black veins suddenly spreading across his body.

" _ **WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"**_ Kuryo yelled in order to get Kage's attention. He winced before quickly firing back.

"Hopefully something good, probably something stupid!" Was all that he said, too focused on the potential danger to pay much attention. His search ended as he came to…

An alleyway. A dark alleyway, hiding a man with a knife pressed against a woman's throat.

" _ **Still want to help?"**_ Kuryo's voice was full of frustration. Fortunately, spite happened to be quite the powerful motivator. Kage's voice shook, but he still called out.

"Hey! Get away from her!" He began to charge forth, black veins once more spreading across his body. However, he stopped when the man turned to face him, holding his knife out.

A sharp knife. An alleyway. A dangerous man. Why was he here? He could die again. His body already felt disturbingly cold as sweat dripped across his face. _Oh god, not again._ His mind just kept repeating. _Not again, not again, not again-_

" _ **Move!"**_ Kuryo managed to distract him from his fear just long enough for him to swerve to the side of the man, who had come forth with a lunge to Kage's chest. Instead of afraid, in the moment, he felt anger.

"Not…" He gritted his teeth, and in a moment, poured his enhancement into his elbow, shrouding the whole thing in pitch black. "Again!" He found himself calling out as he slammed his leg up into the man's arm, with his elbow forcing it down at the same time. The resulting force caused the man to let out a sickening howl as his arm broke. The knife fell to the ground with a clatter.

"Argh!" The man howled, leaping back. At this point, Kage noticed that the man was covered in scales, like those of a reptile. "How'd that stupid blow get through?! I'll ki-"Kage cut the Lizard-Man off with a fist to the stomach, black veins coiled around his arm. He tried to dial back his strength somewhat, but still managed to knock the wind out of the man.

"Not again." He repeated, launching another blow to the Reptile-Man's face, causing him to collapse onto the ground.

"Y-you…!" The Reptile-Man tried to speak, but Kage proceeded to slam his fist down on his chest.

"Not again. Not again. Not again!" He yelled as he beat the man. Over and over, his fist hammered down on the man, echoing the words that threatened to turn his voice hoarse. Finally, he slammed down both hands onto the man's head.

"NOT AGAIN!" His 'battle-cry' was the last thing the Reptile-Man heard before he faded into unconscious darkness. Kage breathed heavily. Physically, he felt fine. He hadn't been so much as touched. But mentally, he was completely drained.

"I-is he…?" Oh, right. The woman he was attacking. She was talking to him. Kage barely heard it over the sound of his rapid pulse.

"No, he's… he's just knocked out. I made sure…" He managed to breathe out. He made sure not to utilise lethal force, especially after his first blow. He still probably – no _definitely_ overdid it, but the Reptile-Man would live. "You should go." He quickly added. The woman appeared distressed for a moment.

"B-but what about you?" Was she still here? He fought to speak over the rising bile in his throat. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off a little, he felt fairly sure he was panicking.

"Just GO!" he yelled. After a moment's hesitation, the woman ran out of the alleyway. Hopefully to find the police.

Meanwhile, tears began to sting at Kage's eyes. His body once again felt unnaturally cold. The beating of his heart was so loud that he could _swear it wasn't inside him anymore and he was dying and oh dear god he was dying and his breaths came out sharp and his vision went blurry and oh dear god not again he was dying again-_

Kage vomited in the alley. His stomach was lurching still, but it was at least a little reassuring to see that he had no cuts. His heart was still inside his body. As it should be.

He still wound up curling into a ball, and began to quietly sob in the alley, hidden behind a large bin.

" _Not again. I don't want to die again. Please not again."_ He wept and wept for what felt like hours. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he found Kuryo was standing over him. The demon spoke no words.

Kage wasn't ready for them. He just needed to let everything out.

And that was how Izuku Midoriya found him. Sitting in an alley, sobbing, whilst a demon touched his shoulder, and a silver band of energy connected them. Kage looked up just in time to see Izuku staring at him, looking terrified.

"I-I can explain…" He tried. "I…I _will_ explain. Just-Just not now. I…" Kage couldn't even finish before he broke down again.

Izuku waited for a moment, before approaching him carefully, and holding his hand out.

"Uh…Hey." Izuku tried to sound comforting. "Why don't we head back to the beach?" He tried. Kage looked up for a moment.

"Y-yeah." He managed, grabbing Izuku's hand. "O-okay."

* * *

It didn't take the two boys long to return to the beach. Perhaps calling it such was a bit optimistic, as at this point, it was still covered in trash, despite Izuku's best efforts. There were however large patches of clean space, surrounded by yet more piles of rubbish. It was in one such clear circle that Kage asked them to sit.

"Here is fine…" his voice was still quiet, lacking its usual witty confidence. It was something of a worrying sight for Izuku. He waited patiently as the two sat down and Kage took several deep, slow breaths. He glanced at the shadowy figure that loomed next to Kage. Its eyes seemed fixed in a glare, but it held no menace. It seemed almost…comforting? Izuku wasn't entirely certain. It had a silver bind that was connected to Kage's stomach.

"Right." When Kage spoke again, he sounded a bit more confident, but still shaken. "I suppose the first thing is introductions. So, Green-Bean, this is Kuryo." Kage gestured towards the shadowy figure, who gave a half-hearted wave.

"' _ **Sup."**_ It spoke with a strange voice, slightly high-pitched yet still strong. It carried a peculiarly alien presence.

"He already knows who you are, but feel free to say hello." Kage smiled at the shadow-Kuryo, apparently. What kind of a name was that?-and seemed amused by his greeting, if it could be called that. Izuku hesitantly waved.

"H-hi…? I'm Izuku Midoriya. N-nice to m-meet you?" Izuku stood up and held his hand out nervously. Kuryo looked at it for a moment, before very carefully shaking it. It was a deftly light touch that felt almost ghastly. Izuku's body shook as well as his hands.

" _ **The pleasure's mine, I suppose. Good to see you in person, 'Green-Bean'"**_ Izuku groaned at the nickname. He supposed it was more dignified than _Deku_ but that wasn't exactly hard.

"J-just Izuku, please." He asked, shooting a nervous glare at Kage, who was now snickering on the floor. His laughter died quickly though, and he spoke again more seriously.

"I know this all… well, _weird_ is kind of an understatement. But there _is_ an explanation. For everything." Kage spoke. He sounded uncomfortable as he continued. "It is, however, absolutely crazy- or it sounds that way, anyway."

"Everything I tell you is all the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." He made the motion of a pledge, like one would make in court. "No matter how bizarre it sounds. Now, listen to my tale." He said in an enthusiastic tone, betraying the actual narrative he was about to spin. Izuku nodded slowly.

"Our story starts… well, not all that long ago, but in a far-off place. Bear with me on this – I'm not from here." Izuku raised an eyebrow.

"Not from Japan?" He tilted his head. Kage chuckled.

"Oh, were it that simple, this would be easy." He muttered. "No, by 'here', I mean this entire reality. I am _literally_ not from this world." Izuku's eyes went wide, but Kage continued to speak before he could question him.

"I know, sounds crazy. And that's just the start. But please, hold on until I'm done. I… kinda need to get this out." He sighed out. Izuku hesitantly held his mouth shut.

"My name isn't _really_ Kage Sekai. Well, not originally. I used to be called Darren Smythe, I used to live in Glasgow, Scotland, in an entirely separate world. A world where Quirks and superhuman powers were just a passing dream. It was in that world that I… I…" Kage seemed to struggle to find his words. Kuryo decided to interrupt.

" _ **I'll take it from here."**_ Kuryo said in a strangely soft tone of voice, before turning to face Izuku. _**"Darren Smythe was murdered. He died from a knife wound inflicted on him by a homeless man."**_ Kage began to shake as Kuryo explained. He was quite clearly not over this event.

" _ **His death, however, is where**_ **I** _ **come in."**_ Izuku tilted his head at Kuryo's statement.

"Wait, aren't you just his Quirk? I mean, 'Kage's' Quirk?" Izuku put air-quotes around Kage's name to highlight the point. What he was being told seemed to suggest that he – That is, Darren – woke up in a new body, apparently in another world. Kuryo's role didn't seem to add up. Both Kage and Kuryo started laughing.

" _ **As I think we've established,**_ **nothing** _ **is quite so simple as that."**_ The shadowy entity said, partly in jest. _**"I'm afraid things only get stranger from here."**_ Kage launched a small glare at the entity.

"If you could _not_ describe my death and rebirth like a cliff-hanger at the end of Doctor Who, that'd be _great_." He said, annoyed. Kuryo simply chuckled in response.

" _ **Sorry. I forget how new you are to all this."**_ Kuryo chuckled. He quickly regained his composure and continued the story. _**"Anyway, when 'Darren' died, his Soul was ejected from his world. Now you know what happens when you die."**_ The statement was clearly meant in jest, but neither boy found it funny. Kuryo sighed.

" _ **Tough crowd. In any case, I latched onto 'Darren's' Soul, and managed to fit both it and I into another body, in a world I had found in his memories."**_ Izuku was only further confused.

"Wait, why would this world be in Ka- er, Darren's memories?" He asked. Kage looked uncomfortable, and there was a brief pause.

"Well, in my world, _this_ world- or, I guess a version _of_ this world, is shown as… as a story. Please don't ask for details, this is already too weird." Kage managed to get out, looking not at Izuku but at the ground as he spoke. Something clicked in Izuku's mind as he thought on Kage's words.

"Is that how you know so much about everything?" He asked, receiving a slow nod in response.

"Yeah. From my perspective, it was all just a part of a story. _Here_ however, it's all real. Just as real as back home." This time, Kage looked Izuku in the eyes. It was easy to tell what he was leaving unsaid.

" _Nothing happened because it was part of the story."_

A reassuring implication, Izuku thought. Kuryo then decided to draw the attention back to him with a cough.

" _ **Quite. In any case, the two of us came here. Me, in order to be free of the Void, and him, in order to not be dead."**_ Kuryo explained. Kage looked up at him with a strange glare.

"You might be missin' the point about how you wanted to take over my body."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Izuku exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah, we've kinda got a deal to co-operate for now, but he wants full control." Kuryo glared back at Kage as he spoke.

" _ **Oh, forgive me for wanting to not be shackled to you for a lifetime."**_ He growled. Kage almost argued back, but he stopped himself.

"Now's not the time for this." He said before re-focusing on Izuku. "So, Kuryo here is something called a 'Void Demon', a being that occupies the space between dimensions and…" He stopped, before proceeding to groan loudly.

"Ugh, listen to yourself, Kage. I'm struggling to believe ya, and I _lived_ it!" He threw up his hands in frustration. Izuku hesitated, before answering his unspoken question.

"I…I believe you." It was startling to hear that coming from his mouth, but it was even more surprising to find it was true. "Y-you're not wrong about it sounding crazy… If you told me this three months ago, I probably wouldn't believe you now, but…" Kage stared up at him with wide eyes.

"I trust you. You're a good person. I know you wouldn't lie about something this important to you." A shaky smile crossed his face. Kage, meanwhile, lit up like a flare.

"You…you…" He struggled for words, before he simply pulled Izuku into a hug. He tightly held him, tears in his eyes.

"Thank you…" He cried. Izuku was briefly surprised, as made obvious by his inability to say words for a full ten seconds. Eventually though, he too found himself smiling.

"N-no problem." He stammered out.

"What're friends for?"

* * *

 **AN:** _I mentioned last time that this chapter became unexpectedly long, and expanded to the point where I chose to split it into a chapter of its own, and I wasn't kidding. This chapter is literally_ _ **the**_ _longest thing I have ever written in my entire life. Fanfiction tends to break my usual records._

 _This chapter was an absolute blast to write from start to finish, and I hope you enjoy! I really poured my heart and soul into this and Chapter 3. In the initial plan, this whole 'Beach Training Arc' was all just one chapter, in a montage style. Looking back, I'm glad I changed that!_

 _On a more serious note, this chapter contains a portrayal of serious trauma and panic attacks in particular, and I hope I managed to cover this tactfully. I will admit to not doing nearly as much research as I really_ _ **should**_ _have, and I apologise if it came across as of poor quality. Please, if I failed to portray this scene right, inform me. In the meantime, I intend to research this more thoroughly._

 _That's enough seriousness for now though. Next time we meet, we will be tying up this 'Beach Training Arc' and hopefully stepping into the Entrance Exams._

 _Next time on The Hero & The Demon – Beginnings _

_I hope to see you all there!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Lord Terronus_

 _P.S: I mentioned before, but I want to apologise for the delay. Sorry!_


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